South Tyneside youth charity KEY Project has been named as a winner in this year’s Scottish Power Foundation Awards.
The Awards celebrate benevolent work in local communities throughout the UK, with organisations judged in four categories: the Innovation Award, the Education Award, the Community Engagement Award and the Charity Champion Award, which gives special recognition to the outstanding contribution made by an exceptional employee or volunteer who exemplifies what their organisation stands for.
Winners in each category receive an additional £5,000 funding boost, with runners-up receiving £2,500.
South Tyneside Churches KEY Project was awarded the Community Engagement Award for its work to prevent youth homelessness and support people in hardship.
Ross Allen, Executive Lead at KEY Project, said: “This has been a year like no other; during the pandemic we have seen a huge increase in demand for all our services. While we have had to creatively reimagine how our projects are delivered, our commitment to supporting the most vulnerable within our community has remained unchanged. We are delighted to win this national award which recognises the tireless efforts of our staff, volunteers, and all our supporters.
“We intend to use the prize fund to provide a range of mental health wellbeing activities for all the young people and families we support. Good mental health is essential to our overall mission, which is to help those facing homelessness or hardship achieve their full potential, contribute to their community, and lead happy, successful lives.”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “Huge congratulations to the winners and runners-up of this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards, who are all real beacons of light in these challenging times. We’re so proud of their achievements and pleased to further recognise their tremendous efforts to change lives for the better.
“What’s especially pleasing is the wide range of activities and support services these Awards celebrate – whether keeping older people connected, supporting disabled young people to live full and fulfilling lives, providing key support to children affected by domestic abuse, or taking a whole community approach to addressing homelessness and hardship. However, the one thing they all have in common is the incredible difference they make to the lives of others.
“We’re honoured to recognise all our winners, runners-up and finalists who bring the values of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards to life every day.”
The Awards are open to recipients of this year’s ScottishPower Foundation funding, which saw £1.2m awarded to 21 charities delivering projects across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Due to social distancing restrictions, the winners were announced on ScottishPower’s Twitter channel – @ScottishPower.
This year’s judging panel was made up of a host of experts from ScottishPower, the third sector, education and communications including Arthur McIvor, Senior Client Manager for Energy & Utility Skills; Juliet Simpson, Founder and CEO of Stripe Communications; Sheila Duncan, Human Resources Director for ScottishPower; and Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation.
The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to make a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. It provides funding to help support the advancement of education, environmental protection, arts and culture and citizenship. It also supports charities who aim to provide relief from poverty, disability, or other disadvantages.
Full information on the winners and runners-up is available at the following link: ScottishPower Foundation Awards 2020